Mount St. Helens 45 years later: These headlines captured a gripping drama before the eruption…….
It’s easy to forget, however, about the two months of anticipation that precipitated the big event.
From March to May 1980, Mount St. Helens dominated The Oregonian’s front pages as the volcano shuddered and shook, spewed forth giant boulders and puffed enormous plumes of ash. The consensus was that an eruption was coming, but nobody knew whether it would be days, months or years before it happened.
Mount St. Helens, long known for its pretty silhouette and serene scenery, took on a new personality. The volcano “awakened,” it “cleared its throat,” it “hurled” debris. Volcano watchers noted its daily temperament and theorized about its power. In the end, the eruption itself was given a persona, a terrible disaster that killed dozens of people and “decapitated” the mountain.
Reading through the news coverage that spring is like paging through a gripping drama. Knowing the ending only makes the lead-up more powerful. When a bulge forms on the north side of the mountain, it’s a horrifying bit of foreshadowing. When local residents protest the evacuation orders the day before the big eruption, you want to beg them to get as far away as possible. When the moment finally comes, all the pieces finally fall into place.
Here are The Oregonian headlines and stories that kept the Pacific Northwest on the edge of its seat.
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